Oberon Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Welcome to Oberon

by P. G. Forte

  Even if it was the truth.

  As the wind grew louder so did the voices. Louder and more desperate, just as they always seemed to do. And still she listened. Even though it caused her heart to break, the pain as sharp and fresh as it had ever been. She listened.

  Back to Top

  * * * *

  Chapter Eleven

  * * * *

  By Saturday night, the sky had been swept clear of clouds. A smoky yellow half-moon rode low in the sky amid a spangle of stars and the air smelled fresh and green. It was almost spring-like, Scout thought as she attempted to exit her new SUV.

  “You know, I can handle being pregnant,” she told Nick as she struggled to hold onto his arm, her handbag, her wrap, and the door handle all at one time. “But being pregnant in heels and a long skirt is just— oh, damn!” She clutched at his arm as she felt her foot slip off the slick surface of the running board.

  His hands were there to catch her, their grasp as strong and reassuring as his voice. “It’s okay, I got you.”

  Gravel crunched underfoot as he set her on her feet again. “I can’t believe I let Lucy talk me into buying these shoes,” she sighed. “And getting in and out of this vehicle in this kind of outfit is a nightmare!” He said nothing, but one glance at his face confirmed her suspicions. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the smirk that hovered on his lips. “Don’t say it, Nick!”

  “Say what?”

  Scout looked into his honey brown eyes, into all the love and humor she saw reflected there and felt anew the wonder of it all. There were times when she felt like Sleeping Beauty, just waking up to find herself in the middle of a dream-come-true. She relaxed against him with a soft sigh of contentment.

  Nick wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, are you okay?” He sounded worried. “What’s wrong?”

  “Not a blessed thing.” She smiled against his chest. “I’m just so happy to be here.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Hon, I had no idea this dinner was so important to you,” he said at last.

  She laughed softly, raising her head and smiling up at him. “No, Nick. Not the dinner. I mean you. Us. Here.”

  There was just enough moonlight for her to see the heat that blazed in his eyes. It took her breath away. “God, I do love you, Jen.” His voice sounded husky and dark.

  “I know. I love you, too.” She’d just lifted her mouth for his kiss when the roar of an engine cut through the night. The bright glow of headlights swung around the SUV, nearly blinding her. Nick pulled her aside as a gleaming black Jaguar slid smoothly into the space next to theirs.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.” Sam smiled in apology as he got out of the car.

  Nick’s arms still held her, but Scout knew the moment had been lost – right along with most of his attention. “Nice car,” he said with more than a hint of envy in his voice.

  Scout studied his expression. Keeping her voice casual, she asked, “You like it?”

  “Sure.” His eyes lovingly caressed each shining curve. “What’s not to like?”

  “Oh. Thanks.” Sam accepted the comment with a careless shrug. He had paired his black tux with a less-than-traditional collarless, black dress shirt, Scout noticed with amusement. She had to admit the look suited him.

  “Yeah, I figured I had to be practical. I guess I can’t really expect to go everywhere on my bike.”

  “You’ll see just how practical this is if we get any flooding this year,” Marsha replied, shaking her head as she came to stand beside them. She was wearing brandy colored satin under a hooded cloak of parrot green. Sam smiled at her until her frown was replaced by a reluctant smile. “Okay, okay,” she said at last. “It’s a nice car, Sam. And the CD player is lovely.”

  Nick was still staring at the Jaguar. “Sam was also considering a Porsche,” Scout told him. “A boxster, I think he said. That would have been nice, too, huh?”

  He smiled faintly. “Oh, yeah. Real nice.” For just a moment longer he seemed lost in thought, then he shook his head, as though to clear it. “Come on,” he said as he took her hand. “What are we standing around out here for? Let’s go inside.”

  She really wouldn’t have minded staying out here a little longer, Scout thought as she allowed herself to be pulled towards the winery’s side entrance. She wouldn’t have minded that kiss they’d almost had, either. But she guessed some things never changed. It seemed like they were always getting interrupted at just that point. She supposed she should be used to it by now.

  “Wow.” Sam sounded impressed. Scout paused to take in her surroundings. Well, it was impressive, wasn’t it? Twin rows of torches illuminated the huge yellow boulders that surrounded the mouth of the cave. Crushed granite lined the path beneath their feet, still wet with rain, it glistened in the firelight. She was hit by an uncanny feeling of having been here before.

  “Cold?” Nick asked, as she shivered. She shook her head.

  “No, just a touch of deja vu, I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever actually been here, but—”

  Marsha turned to look at her. She was frowning slightly. “Are you sure? It’s been closed for almost thirty years, you know.” As Marsha’s eyes scanned her, Scout felt the faint tug at the back of her mind intensify. “But I suppose it’s just barely possible.”

  “Maybe.” Scout shrugged, and the sensation disappeared again. She turned her head to listen to the soft strains of music that wafted from the cave’s entrance. Like everything else about the night it seemed to hint at something barely remembered. “That music. Does anybody know what it is?”

  “Puccini. It’s from The Girl of the Golden West, if I’m not mistaken.” It was Sam who answered; smiling faintly as the others looked at him in astonishment. “What can I say? I happen to like opera.”

  “Not much opportunity for that around here, you know,” Marsha said quietly.

  “Ah,” Sam purred, his eyes gleaming with sudden mischief. “But now that I have that great CD player in the car, I can listen to it any time I want.”

  Inside the cave the torches gave way to double rows of potted ficus trees, their branches strung with tiny white lights. The music grew steadily louder as they went forward, following the curving passage further into the earth. Shadowy side tunnels, their entrances guarded by double glass doors, led off at odd angles from the main chamber. Abruptly, the cave widened into a large grotto. A double ring of tables encircled an intimate dance floor. Rainbow colored lights set in the ceiling reflected off the glittering rock walls and even more lights twinkled from the centerpieces set on each of the tables.

  Men in dark suits and women in colorful gowns drifted dream-like toward their seats. White-jacketed servers hurried about between them, balancing large trays of crudités on their hands. While others poured wine and water into the waiting glasses. “It’s like fairyland,” Sam murmured, as they made their way to their table. He sounded slightly dazed.

  Scout took a deep breath. The air was cool and dry. She could smell earth and wood and dark, red wine. A waiter sailed past with a tray of bruschetta redolent of garlic and cheese. She sighed happily. “No, it’s better than that. It’s real. And it’s perfect.”

  Gail and Larry, Dan, Lucy and Siobhan were already seated when they arrived at the table. White wine sparkled in their glasses and the table was littered with plates of olives and brie and fried baby artichokes. The seat beside Siobhan was empty, but Scout had only a moment to wonder about it before its mystery was resolved.

  “Ryan.” She smiled up at him in pleased surprise. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight?”

  “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said, returning her smile as he shook hands with Nick.

  As he seated himself, Ryan’s glance went to the glass in Siobhan’s hand. “What’s this? You started without me? And here I thought it was my drinking you were so worried about.”

  Siobhan opened her mouth to respond, but then seemed to change her mind. She sh
ook her head slightly and sipped at her wine instead.

  Surprised, Scout studied them both more carefully. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other?”

  Ryan shifted around to face her, his arm brushing casually against Siobhan’s as he did. “Well, you knew that I’ve been benched because of my leg, right? I was going stir-crazy before I got the idea to volunteer at Siobhan’s center.”

  “Really?” Lucy regarded him curiously. “That’s got to be some switch from police work, huh?”

  “You have no idea how different,” Ryan told her as he reached back to pick up his glass of Viognier. This time his arm just missed making contact when Siobhan leaned suddenly away from him, her hand moving quickly to pluck a stuffed mushroom from a tray of appetizers. “And you’d be amazed by how much I know about rocks right now.”

  Scout heard Nick give a suspicious sounding snort just as Gail leaned across Larry and Siobhan to ask, “How do you like trying to work with that bobcat, though? I tell you, that thing scares me half to death.”

  While waiters presented them with a choice of either cracked crab or asparagus tarts Scout continued to study Ryan from the corner of her eye. As he’d turned to answer Gail, he’d laid one arm casually along the back of Siobhan’s chair. His other hand rested on the edge of the table, his fingers scant inches from hers.

  Siobhan sat very still, fingers clenching on the stem of her wineglass, her cheeks suspiciously flushed.

  Scout turned towards Nick. “Did you know about this?”

  “Did he know about what?” Lucy leaned in from Nick’s other side to ask. Scout slid her eyes in the direction of the couple beside her and watched as Lucy’s eyes grew wide with speculation. “Oh. Interesting.”

  They both looked at Nick, who was busily forking up crab, dipping the pieces into a small dish of remoulade sauce, as though the process required all of his attention. “Nick?”

  “I have no idea what you two are talking about.” He popped another piece of crab into his mouth and smiled at them both.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Nice try, cuz. C’mon, spill it. How long has this been going on?”

  This time, Nick took refuge in his fume blanc. “Beats me,” he said with a shrug.

  Dan laughed. “Has that ever actually worked for you?”

  Nick glanced at his friend sharply, and Scout thought she detected a slight note of challenge in Nick’s voice as he answered. “Nope. But we just keep trying it anyway, don’t we, Dan?”

  For an instant, a shadow seemed to cross Dan’s face. When he spoke, his voice was a shade cooler than before. “Speak for yourself, bud. I’m not that stupid.” He grabbed his own glass and swallowed a mouthful of wine. Then he smiled at Scout. “So, I understand you bought yourself a new vehicle recently?”

  Scout blinked at the fell gleam in his eyes. The glass in Nick’s hand hit the table with a thud. “Oh, that’s old news, Dan. Have you heard about Sam’s new car? We saw it out in the parking lot just now. A Jaguar... something or other. Very shiny. Black with lots of chrome and stuff.”

  For just a moment longer, Dan’s gaze seemed to linger on Nick’s face. Then he turned his head towards Marsha. “Oh, yeah? So, does this mean you’re finally going to retire that old van of yours, Marsh? Jesus, it’s about time.”

  Beside her, Siobhan heard Ryan chuckle softly. The sound cascaded through her, warm and deep and utterly masculine. She didn’t even have to turn her head to know just how he’d look. His lips would be parted in a small smile, the corners of his eyes creasing ever so slightly. In less than two weeks, there was so much she’d come to know about him – the way he looked, the way he moved, the sound of his laughter...

  His hand lay on the table between them. She didn’t have to look at that either, to know where it was. So close to her own, she could feel the heat from it. It had been so much easier keeping him at arm’s length while they were at work. So much easier to pretend that he was just another volunteer. Just a kid. To pretend that there could never be anything but a casual friendship between them. Or that she didn’t secretly long for more.

  She took a deep breath, took the scent of him right into her lungs and felt the heat rise within her. His hand moved a fraction of an inch closer. She stared at it, mesmerized. Half-wishing he’d move it closer still, half-praying he’d move it away. Through the thrumming of blood in her ears Siobhan heard her sister laugh. “Oh, no way, Dan. Are you kidding me? I love that van. I’m never getting rid of it.”

  Siobhan stirred. “Oh, come on, Marsha. You ought to at least consider replacing it.” Carefully, she slid her hand away from his. Just a tiny bit. Just enough so that she could breathe again. “It can’t possibly be safe, you know. That van was old when Cinny and I had it. And that was when we were in high school!”

  “Ahh, but you know what they say, Siobhan. It’s not the years that matter, it’s the mileage.” From across the table, Dan smiled at her. She turned to stare at him in surprise. For just an instant their eyes met, then he was turning his smile on Lucy. “And don’t look at me that way, woman. That’s just what I’ve heard.”

  “Yeah, Vonne, I think we all might’ve heard about some of the mileage you and your sister got in that van, back when we were in high school.” Nick, leaning back in his chair was grinning as well.

  Siobhan felt a slow blush crawl up her cheeks. It had been so long since she’d even thought about those days. Ancient memories stirred to life, sparking an urge for mischief she’d never expected to feel again. Oh, so he wanted to go there, did he?

  She arched one eyebrow at her old friend. “Oh, yeah? That’s nice, Greco. But as I recall you racked up quite a few miles yourself back then.”

  Siobhan felt Ryan stiffen beside her; his sudden movement causing every nerve she had to tense. She looked at him sharply. “What?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. I just... I hadn’t realized that you and Nick were so, uh... close.” His voice sounded a little more subdued than usual. And once again she found herself feeling half relieved, half regretful.

  “Close? Yeah, I guess you could say that. We met in kindergarten, after all. Which was... oh, gee, before you were even born.”

  He said nothing. She studied his shuttered expression, trying hard to suppress the disappointment she felt.

  “Yeah,” she murmured, after a moment. “I can see how those seven years might seem like a little bit more of a big deal then you first thought they would, huh?”

  Annoyance flashed in his eyes, she saw his jaw clench. “It’s like the man said, Siobhan. It’s not the years that concern me, it’s the amount of mileage you two might have racked up together.”

  Her and Nick? She stared at him. Laughter bubbled up inside and she bit back a smile. Oh, this was too good. She should just keep quiet now. Just leave it alone and let him go on thinking... whatever he was thinking. Once again, she reminded herself that she did not owe him an explanation. But as usual, her mouth would not stay shut.

  “Are you serious? Because I gotta tell you, once you’ve watched someone eat paste, it kind of kills the romance.” She shrugged. “We were never more than friends.”

  “Siobhan, I’m crushed,” Nick murmured reproachfully. She turned to him in surprise. For just a minute, she could see the mischievous boy who used to tease her so unmercifully. “You mean you don’t remember? Becky Santiago’s birthday party?”

  “Oh, lord,” Siobhan muttered. Nick watched as her cheeks turned red once more. “Trust you to bring that up, Nick. That was what... sixth grade? So, big deal. We were twelve. Girls of that age aren’t terribly discriminating about who they kiss.” A smile lit up her eyes as she continued, “But then, you probably already know that, don’t you?”

  “Twelve?” Nick felt surprise jolt him. Jesus, they couldn’t have been twelve. Could they? “Are you sure about that, Vonne?”

  Siobhan’s smile held more than a touch of malice. “Oh, yeah. I’m real sure.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t listen to this. My d
aughter’s twelve.”

  “Yes.” She was grinning now, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “I know that, too.”

  Well, touché. Nick thought as he returned her smile. And welcome back, friend. It was good to see this Siobhan again, even if the woman did still have a mouth on her that just wouldn’t quit. He’d grown damn tired of the other one – the nervous, tense imposter who’d been inhabiting her body for the past ten years. And if Henderson was the one responsible for the change in her, then more power to the both of them.

  “Ouch,” he heard Dan murmur, amid the others’ laughter.

  Nick glanced over at his friend, and felt a little of the anger he’d been harboring against him dissolve. He still thought he was being an idiot, of course. But he guessed everyone had their weaknesses. “What are you laughing about, Dan? Your daughter’s the same age as mine.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Dan grimaced. “Looks like we’re both in the same boat after all.”

  For several minutes, the conversation revolved around children. Crab and asparagus gave way to a choice of soups – blue potato or minestrone – or a mesclun salad topped with warm blocks of nut encrusted chevre.

  “Oh, you poor, poor things,” Marsha said with a laugh. As she leaned forward the light from the centerpiece glistened on the twisted gold ropes and glittering gems she wore at her throat. “Listen up, guys. You think one at a time is so tough? Try being the single parent of twin boys sometime.”

  “Wait a minute. Boys.” Dan smacked his head with the heel of his hand. “What the hell are we thinking? Marsha, I don’t know why we even let you sit with us.”

  “Hey, that’s right.” Nick’s eyes strayed to her necklace once again. Not bad. It was almost as nice as the one he was buying for Scout. “I hate to say it, Marsha. But I’m afraid that, right now, you and your sons are the enemy.”

  “The enemy, huh?” Marsha’s eyes twinkled as she smiled at him. “Well, I guess I’ll have to remember that Nick. After your baby’s born and you’re looking for someone to baby sit him.”